


Black Mercy

by WonderPickle



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Happy Bruce, Some domestic fluff, followed by angst, posting old stuff, something never seen in canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 01:18:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11681004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WonderPickle/pseuds/WonderPickle
Summary: Reveals what Diana would've seen if the black mercy plant from Mongul had gotten ahold of her in episode 2 of Justice League Unlimited.One-shot.





	Black Mercy

**Author's Note:**

> as said in the description, this is based off the episode "For the Man Who Has Everything", 1x02 of Justice League Unlimited, written about a year and a half ago. Mongul uses the black mercy plant on Superman, so he experiences his deepest desires, only to have them ripped away. same with Batman. Wonder Woman is the only one who avoids it. this fic explores the what if. keep in mind that this takes place in the JLU universe, and it's my interpretation of what she might've seen. of course, I'm biased because I'm a Wonder Bat shipper.

As Diana grappled with the black mercy plant, one of its tentacles shot out at her head, trying to capture her in the internal prison it would have created. She managed to roll her head to the side, narrowly avoiding the pink slimy arm of sorts that was reaching for her. She thought she had escaped the deadly grasp, so she attempted to stand up. This turned out to be a bad idea, since the plant was not fully off her body yet. The tentacles thrashed out towards her, wrapping around her torso entirely. It stung when the alien weed pierced her skin, penetrating through the muscle and tissue.

Diana was vaguely aware of Bruce bellowing her name as she fell onto her knees, and she could barely make out his figure racing towards her. The blackness was too great, and began clouding her vision completely. Within seconds the darkness was all she could see, and Bruce's concerned voice was no longer detectable.

* * *

Diana blinked. The grogginess was still there the first couple of times, but after about the fourth blink it cleared and everything became visible.

She took notice of her surroundings, as she did every morning when she woke up. There were multiple layers of warm blankets and sheets covering her, and she could feel the soft mattress beneath her back. The ceiling was much too high up, and Alfred could always pretend there were no cobwebs since he couldn't reach any of them.

She turned on her side, and there was a man sleeping peacefully on the other side of the bed. But it wasn't just any man. It was Bruce, her Bruce, the famous Batman, her Batman, with his eyes closed and soft little breaths coming in and out of his nose. His chest rose silently up and down.

Diana positioned her arm in an "L" shape on her pillow, so she could rest her head in the crook and just watch her husband sleep. He often told her he disliked when she did that, but she found it oddly romantic.

Eventually, she wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Bruce spoke up. He did so without opening his eyes. "Princess, you can't stare at me while I sleep."

"And why not?" she retorted with a smile.

"Because it's creepy."

"Says the man who spends his nights waiting for criminals in the shadows."

He cocked one of his eyebrows while opening the eye underneath it. "Alright, point taken."

Diana smiled. She leaned in and pressed a kiss on each of his eyelids once they both had closed. "I'm going to go wake up Thomas. We don't want to be late to visit my mother for lunch."

There was a pout. "Please stay," Bruce asked his wife, opening his eyes once more.

"My mother would _not_ be very happy if we were late again," Diana reminded him, already starting to get out of the bed.

As his response, Bruce grabbed both of her hands and forced her back down into the soft bed. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her.

"Bruce..." she whispered.

He shushed her with his lips pressing warmly against hers. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her, deepening the kiss instead of ending it.

Finally Diana managed to snake away, frowning at her spouse. But after a short moment, she said, "Alright, fine. A few more minutes."

With a grin, Bruce entwined his fingers in her raven hair. She lowered herself down to him again, resuming the kiss they had several moments ago. Her thin fingers made their way into his messy hair, wrapping themselves around the thick locks. His lips widened for her, allowing her tongue to slide in. Her previously chapped lips were suddenly submersed in his, each one of them desperately trying to get the most of each other. It was passionate, fierce, and fiery, and when they touched each other's skin it was like setting themselves ablaze.

Diana pulled back, and they were breathless, just taking a moment to stare at one another. They still had their fingers wrapped in each other's hair, but Diana slowly started to untangle hers from him. "Now, I'm going to go wake up Thomas," she told her husband, climbing out of the bed.

As he watched her go, Bruce said, "I love you, Princess."

She turned her head slightly as she stood in the doorway of the master bedroom. "I love you, too."

She could feel his smile radiating the room as she left.

Her feet padded down the hallway to her son's room, slowly creaking the door open. "Thomas, honey?" she whispered, trying not to be too loud as to give him a harsh wake up. But he was no where to be seen throughout the room. Diana pursed her lips, but didn't get overly worried. She simply retreated back down the hallway she came through and descended somewhat gracefully down the stairs.

As she entered the kitchen, she could hear the shared giggles between her father-in-law and her four year old son. When they heard the door open, both of their heads turned towards Diana. "Mommy!" Thomas exclaimed.

"Good morning, my little sun and stars," she replied as she pressed a tender kiss to his tiny forehead. "Did you wake up all by yourself today?"

"Actually, Miss Diana, I believe you and Master Bruce had quite the night with the league, so I took the pleasure in waking up Master Thomas to allow you more sleep," Alfred chimed in.

Diana smiled widely. "Thank you, Alfred."

"Anytime, Miss," he beamed, "Now, would you like some chocolate chip pancakes?"

She chuckled. "I would love some," she replied as she took a seat at the counter next to her son. His face was covered in brown from the mashed pancakes on his plate. Diana grabbed a napkin from the basket in the middle of the countertop, and leaned over to wipe the food off. "Thomas, can Mommy wipe all of the chocolate off your face?"

He shook his head. "No!" he declared.

"Well, that settles that then," responded Alfred with a laugh. He turned around to face the stove, where he was cooking Diana's pancakes.

"I'm telling you, I have no idea which side of the family he gets that from," Diana claimed, ruffling her son's hair as he dove in for more breakfast.

"Which side of the family he gets what from?" Bruce, fully dressed for the day, questioned as he entered the kitchen. He bent down and kissed his son on the top of his head before taking a seat next to Diana.

"His knack for creating a mess on his face," Alfred answered without turning around.

"Oh, good morning, to you too, Alfred," replied Bruce with a smile.

"Thomas can you say good morning to Daddy?" Diana asked her son, wanting to show her husband the amount of goop spread across his face.

The young boy whipped his head towards his father, leaving his messy features on full display. "Good morning, Daddy!"

"You have quite the amount of food there, kiddo," Bruce stated.

Thomas nodded eagerly before returning to devouring his pancakes like a hungry animal.

Bruce laughed. "I think that's all you, Princess."

"What is?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

He gestured silently at their son.

She scoffed. "Is not. He's four. That's how they eat."

"Miss," Alfred said, lowering three pancakes off a steaming pan and onto Diana's plate.

She smiled greedily and dived into the delicious looking breakfast.

Barely thirty seconds later Bruce said, "I stand by my point."

Diana socked him in the arm somewhat playfully.

She looked about ready to continue the argument, but Alfred stated, "Master Bruce, Miss Diana, as much as it would bring my joy to see you two continue your quarrel, I believe you ought to get going soon."

The princess looked down. "I'm not even dressed yet!" she exclaimed, "and neither is Thomas."

"You see," Bruce said while sipping on a cup of coffee he had just received from Alfred, "this is why I came down prepared."

Diana gave him a shake of her head with mock attitude and pursed her lips. She then proceeded to pick up her son out of his chair and wrap him in her arms. "But Mommy, I wasn't done yet!" Thomas announced.

"I know, baby, but we have to get dressed so we can go see Grandma today," she replied, already on her way out through the kitchen door.

She raced up the stairs and into Thomas' bedroom, setting him down on the bed. Diana grabbed a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt out of his dresser drawers, handing him the pants first. He was a little hesitant to let her wipe his face while he changed his pants, but gave in and did it. She had a pretty difficult time getting _all_ of the chocolate off, but managed to do so anyway. Diana then proceeded to have her son put on the previously picked out polo shirt, soon realizing the shirt he was originally wearing was coated in chocolate, too.

"You're good to go," she told him, "but don't you dare get anything on those clothes. You hear me, mister?"

Thomas nodded vigorously before dashing out of his bedroom and back down the main staircase.

Diana scurried over to her own room, quickly dressing herself and putting her hair up in a messy pony tail. She followed her son's actions and hurried down the steps, heading over to the kitchen once more.

Thomas was sitting on Bruce's lap when she entered, and they were reading some sort of picture book. Alfred was humming an old tune while washing all of the dirty dishes that had been used during breakfast.

When he heard his wife enter, Bruce turned around to face her, Thomas still encased in his arms. "Wow, Mommy cleaned up pretty nicely, huh, buddy?"

Diana laughed and kissed both her son and her husband on the cheek. "We should probably get going," she then stated.

"Have a wondrous time," Alfred told his surrogate family.

Thomas jumped out of his father's arms and onto the ground. He encompassed his grandfather in a loving hug before hurrying back over to his awaiting parents.

"Thank you for breakfast, Alfred," Diana said with a warm smile.

"My pleasure, Miss Diana," he replied, turning around to resume his duties.

Thomas held his mother's hand as the trio headed towards the back of the house to the obscure garage that housed Diana's invisible jet. After Bruce punched in a four digit passcode, they slipped into the dark room. He flicked on some light switches and suddenly the entire place was illuminated. The jet could not be seen at first glance, but the spot where it was parked was cleverly marked with red x's on the floor.

Bruce was the first to climb up the concealed stairs, so he opened the door for his family. They managed to find seats, and Diana fastened her son in tight before even walking over to the pilot's seat. Bruce took up residence next to Thomas, and cracked open the book the pair had been reading before getting in the vehicle.

Making sure all the switches were on and the jet was ready for takeoff, Diana pressed a button and the ceiling of the garage retracted back into itself. She took control of the helm, and suddenly they were in the air, blending in with the bright blue sky.

* * *

"Grandma!" Thomas squealed when the family of three entered Hippolyta's throne room. He dashed towards his grandmother, a widespread grin painted across his lips.

The guards looked about ready to tackle the child as he jumped onto the queen's lap, but she held up a hand. "Thomas, I've missed you so much, sweet child."

"He missed you plenty, Mother," Diana answered for her son. Hippolyta beckoned her daughter forward, so Wonder Woman climbed up the steps towards the throne, and embraced her mother in a loving hug. Thomas was stuck in between them as this action occurred, which caused him to wail until he was set free.

Hippolyta stood up, looking as royal and regal as ever. "Bruce," she said, nodding at her son-in-law.

"Hippolyta," he responded with a slight smile. Hippolyta had originally had some issues with The Dark Knight when he married her daughter, but after they had a beautiful baby boy her disliking began to dissolve away. Sihe had removed Diana's banishment from the island, and allowed her, Bruce, and Thomas to visit monthly, and sometimes even weekly. There was still tension between Hippolyta and Bruce, even though most of it was long gone.

Diana cleared her throat. "Let's go get some lunch," she suggested, grabbing her husband's hand and tugging it along. The group of four passed multiple guards as they snaked through the hallways, until they reached a set of large stone double doors that led out to a balcony. A small table in the center of the floor was adorned with grapes, different cheeses, sandwiches, and a wine bottle, along with three slim glasses. They all took their seats, Diana in between her mother and Bruce, and Thomas in between his grandmother and father.

Thomas made a greedy grin before throwing his hands into the plate of sandwiches.

" _Manners_ ," Diana chided.

"Oh let him be, Diana," her mother responded, "You weren't the neatest eater when you were younger, either."

Diana opened her mouth in protest, but Bruce snorted before she could say anything. She lightly elbowed him, then popped several grapes into her mouth.

Hippolyta poured herself a glass of wine and cocked her eyebrow in the direction of her son-in-law.

"I was convincing her this morning that she eats like our son," Bruce explained, cutting two pieces of cheese off the block. He dropped one on Thomas' plate and tossed one in his mouth.

"I don't disagree," Hippolyta stated with a smile.

Diana pouted. She poured a glass of wine for herself and a glass of water for Thomas, taking a long sip from hers after helping her son. She grumbled things into the glass.

"How's Alfred?" Hippolyta questioned.

"Good. Cleaning. The usual," Diana answered with a shrug.

Halfway through with the task of sticking another grape in her mouth, Diana heard Bruce say her name. "Yes?" she asked him.

He furrowed his eyebrows while lifting a glass of wine to his mouth. "What?"

"Did you not say my name?" she said.

He shook his head. "I didn't say anything."

"Yes you did..." Diana responded, slowly shaking her head back and forth.

"Diana, are you alright?" Hippolyta asked her daughter.

She looked down at her son, who blinked back at her with bright blue eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, bringing her vision back up to her food.

There was a silence as the four continued their lunch.

Suddenly, Diana heard her husband call her name again. But it didn't sound as if she were right next to him, it was more of an echoey tone. "Bruce, that isn't funny."

Hippolyta and Bruce made eye contact across the table, which was quite unusual. "Diana...I didn't say anything."

"Yes you did, this time I swear to Gaia heard you," she urged.

Bruce put a hand on her forehead. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

For the third time, Diana heard Bruce's voice calling her name. It was still sort of an echo, but it was more like a scream, a desperate scream. She suddenly shot out of her seat, as if her spine had been electrocuted.

"Mommy?" Thomas asked, confused by his mother's actions.

She covered her eyes with her hand and mumbled, "Oh Hera. I know what's happening."

Bruce stood up alongside his wife, concernly reaching a tender hand out to her.

Unexpectedly, the ground beneath them began shaking. They all held onto the table and tried to keep themselves steady.

Diana knew what was coming. She knew that it wasn't her husband Bruce screaming her name. It was the impassive Batman, who refused to acknowledge the obivous fact that he and Wonder Woman had feelings for each other. She looked up into the sky, and it was rapidly darkening.

"Mommy, what's happening?" Thomas asked, clinging to her leg.

She bent down, tears beginning to brim in her eyes. She knew this was it. She would never see Thomas again before being violently ripped away from her fantasies and whipped into reality. She cupped her hand around his small little cheek. "I love you, my little sun and stars. I will never ever forget you." Diana gave him the most loving and caring hug imaginable, suddenly finding it difficult to let go.

But when she did, she was faced with the goodbye to her mother.

"Diana? What's going on?" the queen asked, shaking her head in bewilderment.

The Amazonian princess could feel tears streaming down her face at that point. "Mother, thank you for allowing me back onto the island. I've missed you so much." she gave her mother a kiss on the forehead while whispering, "I love you."

Diana turned around. "Bruce-"

"What's happening, Princess?"

She shook her head, wet tears flying off. "Bruce, I love you more than it's humanly possible to love another person. You will _forever_ be in my heart."

As he opened his mouth to spout his confusion once more, she crashed her lips on top of his, silencing him. She could feel the world she longed for collapsing around them, so she closed her eyes. When she opened them, everything was gone.

* * *

Diana blinked, and noticed a face very close to her own. Bruce.

"You alright?" he asked, his cowl covered face slowly inching away from hers.

She frowned slightly. Disregarding the bleeding skin underneath her uniform, she was physically in tact. But her emotions were another story entirely.

"I'm fine," she lied, pushing herself up from her knees.

"We have to find Clark," Bruce said, his head rocking from side to side as he searched around the room for his colleague.

"Where did he go?" came Diana's response.

"Not sure, I think he might've dragged Mongul that way," he replied, pointing towards to the left.

Diana nodded before following her teammate through The Fortress of Solitude.

* * *

After having defeated the vicious Mongul, the trio of heroes had rode in Diana's jet back to The Watchtower. Not a single word had been shared between the three, only an uncomfortable silence that they all recognized as the pain from separating themselves from the black mercy. Diana didn't know what either of the men had seen, but she was sure it was just as hard as it was for her to let go of whatever it was.

She couldn't look at Bruce the same way after being ripped away from her daze.

She didn't realize how much she truly loved him before that plant had combed through her heart, scouring for her inner most desires. But she knew she couldn't tell him. She couldn't say one word. It would only push him farther away, and that would demolish all of the progress they had made over the past few years. She had worked at the friendship they currently shared, and even if she was in love with him, doing anything to disrupt or ruin that connection would crush her.

After landing in The Watchtower bay, Bruce had rushed off, mostly likely to brood about whatever pain he just experienced. Diana and Clark made silent eye contact before breaking away and going their separate ways. But for some reason he had joined her sitting alone at a table in the cafeteria, some other heroes hustling and bustling around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, not even attempting a formal greeting.

"I'm fine. Are _you_ okay?" she responded, not looking up from the cup of coffee on the table in front of her.

Clark sighed, taking his time answering her question. "Not really. Mongul was right, removing the black mercy was like tearing off an arm."

Diana silently agreed, just nodding her head. A quiet suddenly emerged between them for possibly two or five minutes, neither was really sure.

"It hurts. Like your heart was torn out of your chest, making everything you ever cared about or hoped for disappear," he said.

Diana didn't respond, but she felt exactly how he just described.

"What did you see, Clark?" she asked eventually, not even completely sure he would answer.

Superman turned his head to her, bright blue eyes trying to shroud the pain and sadness being hidden within them.

She could see right through.

He sighed, inhaling deeply and exhaling just as much. "Lois and I were married. We had a son. A wonderful life on Krypton. My birth parents were still alive, and I saw them frequently. It was everything I ever wanted."

Diana's faced melted into a mask of concern and sympathy for her best friend.

"What did you see, Di?"

She sighed, just as he did. "I...Bruce and I were married, and we also had a son, Thomas. Somehow he had managed to make peace with his inner demons, and he could be Batman and Bruce Wayne at the same time. He was happy, smiling all the time. I was no longer banished from Themyscira, Bruce, Thomas and I could visit anytime we desired," Diana looked up, narrowing her eyes sadly, "It was what I've always wanted for Bruce, for myself, for us, Clark. Even though it's not the Bruce I fell in love with, it's still a Bruce I want to know."

Slowly, he encased her in his arms, the pair just crying silently.

**Author's Note:**

> quite honestly, there wasn't a happy way to end this story.


End file.
